Chapter 120: Questions and Answers

"...Hey, Typhon... why do I see some people sucking on the tentacles?" Nio asks, having already spotted at least three people who weren’t restrained, but had grabbed onto tentacles and were sucking on them.

"It’s for the blood. I already told you we don’t need to eat, but hunger still exists, so those people suck the blood the tentacles have collected. I wouldn’t recommend doing it, though."

"The blood is contaminated. Even if it seems tasty, whoever drinks it can’t stop. Eventually, the tentacles capture them. It’s how the tentacles catch those who are stronger than them."

"Just ignore those stupid condemned souls who can’t overcome basic impulses... if you want blood, I can let you bite me and drink from me."

"No, I don’t want to. I was just curious..."

"Since you’re asking so many questions, I think I have the right to ask some too. What will you do once you get out of hell?"

"...Obviously, I’ll take revenge on the traitors who killed me, and then take back my palace... and... probably fight you again..."

"...I see. So your desire to kill me hasn’t faded... what a shame."

"Is that all? Why do you never get angry?! Your politeness at times like this frustrates me."

"Emotional outbursts aren’t exactly my style. I’m sorry if you don’t like that. Though, isn’t it better that I’m calm and polite?"

"...Maybe... it’s just that now that we’re in hell and I have to coexist with you, your personality clashes too much with this horrible environment... you draw too much attention." Typhon looks up to see Nio’s face, who is riding on her back.

"...Mortals really are strange. Normally, if someone meets a person who loves obsessively, has emotional outbursts of rage and jealousy, and is unpredictable and aggressive, that person would be afraid of such a being."

"But with me, where that obsessive love still exists, but I’m polite and proper, you think it’s bad. Honestly, I can’t understand. Do you want me to be worse?"

"N-No! Don’t be worse, it’s just... it’s just strange. I think most people show more emotion..." Nio can’t really tell the difference between the mind of a being like Typhon, who wasn’t even corporeal in the past, and the emotions of someone born with them.

"Like... we’re literally in hell, and so far I’ve only seen three expressions from you: politeness, coldness, and interest in me. And honestly, that’s exactly how you acted before we died. It’s kind of disturbing how you don’t express more basic things."

"Look at that over there. That’s disgusting, but you look at it and your face stays completely neutral!" Nio says, pointing at a man completely twisted and impaled by a tentacle, his organs hanging out of his body.

"...Haaa..." Typhon just sighs.

"Nio, you’re not a child. You shouldn’t ask so many childish questions..." Typhon approaches the man and then grabs the hanging entrails and pulls.

"!!!" Nio is alarmed as blood splatters on both of them.

"Ewwhh!! Why did you do that?!" Nio tries to wipe the blood that splashed on her cheek, disgusted.

"..." Typhon, on the other hand, bites into the entrails and pulls with her teeth, swallowing the flesh right in front of Nio. She licks her lips in an almost seductive way as she resumes walking.

"That’s your answer. It’s not that I don’t express much — it’s just that I see the world differently."

"What to you is a grotesque torture scene, to me is just meat hanging from a skewer. It’s no different from how humanity hangs pigs on hooks inside a butcher shop."

"..."

"Stop trying to fit me into human molds, Nio. They can’t capture the essence of what I am. For something to disgust me, it would have to be at the very least far superior to anything that could disgust you." Even though Typhon finds Nio’s questions childish, she still answers every one of them — not because she likes the questions, but because she wants to satisfy the curiosity of the girl who shows interest in her, even if it isn’t a positive interest.

"It’s easier for you to see disgust in my eyes if it’s directed at a person rather than a scene. People can be more disgusting than any scene. And there are people who, to me, are despicable simply for being who they are." There is almost no scenario Typhon would find disgusting, but there are people among Nio’s own servants that Typhon would despise for very specific reasons.

"Hmmm..." Nio moves her hands to cover Typhon’s eyes, making her stop walking.

"So if I gouged your eyes out right now, you wouldn’t get mad at me?"

"No. They’d regenerate in a few seconds. But the real question is: why would you do that? If I were to get angry, wouldn’t that be the worst scenario for you?"

"...I hate how you always think about me, Typhon... why don’t you think about how bad it would be for you?" Nio begins to realize that everything always revolves around her existence, and she deeply hates it. It makes her feel violated, as if Typhon were seeing things she shouldn’t from the most intimate parts of Nio.

But not in an intimate way. It would be like having someone who can see your heart beating and counting how many beats per minute. Like someone who can see your intestines working and finds it cute.

Like someone who can see your brain and every thought in it, and all they think is how interesting it is. It’s not the "intimate" in a good way — it’s a grotesque kind of intimate that makes Nio’s wings bristle.

"Why would I care about my own existence, Nio? One day, you’ll care about it." Typhon says with a slight shrug.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Nio’s tail sways from side to side, adjusting to her current emotions, which are pure confusion.

"Forget it. Let’s stay quiet for a bit, okay? Try to sleep and rest. I’ll keep walking." Since Typhon wishes to destroy the individualism between them, Typhon must think exclusively of Nio, and Nio must think exclusively of Typhon.

In other words, it’s not that Typhon doesn’t care about herself — it’s that Nio is the one who should care about her, while Nio should stop caring about herself, so that Typhon becomes the only one who cares about Nio.

That way, both would take care of each other as if they were a single being. But if Nio understands that too soon, Typhon knows it would be problematic, so she prefers to restrain herself and stay silent.

"Okay... I guess sleeping might be good. I hope we get to the next floor soon." Nio murmurs, resting her arms on Typhon’s head and laying her head on them to sleep.